The present invention relates to a tape cassette for cleaning use, and more particularly, to a tape cassette for removing dirt on the tape running passage including a magnetic head, a pinch roller and the like of a tape recorder.
There is a likelihood that the long use of a tape recorder will result in dirt adhering to a magnetic head, a pinch roller, a capstan shaft and the like in the tape running passage, resulting in deterioration of performance in record and playback operations or in instability in the tape running.
For this reason, a tape cassette as disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Utility Model Publication Sho 58/1983-109825 has been proposed as a tape cassette for cleaning the tape running passage of a tape recorder. This tape cassette permits a cleaning tape to slidingly bear against a liquid retaining member from which a cleaning liquid is supplied to the cleaning tape and to thereby clean the tape running passage with the cleaning tape soaked with the cleaning liquid.
However, since only the tape tension is provided to bias the tape against the magnetic head, it is difficult to obtain sufficient pressure to ensure that the cleaning effect will not fall short of expectations.
One possible solution to this problem is to provide a pad against the magnetic head so as to bring the cleaning tape into contact with the magnetic head with a given pressure. However, with this arrangement, the friction factor between a fabric tape soaked with the cleaning liquid and the pad increases remarkably, which necessitates a strong force to run the cleaning tape and imposes a heavy load on a tape drive system of the tape recorder, resulting in a possibility of causing problems.
In addition, the repeated use of the conventional cleaning tape cassette wherein the tape is repeatedly rewound, results in dirt readhering to the surface of a liquid retaining member containing a cleaning liquid which surface is in sliding contact with the tape. As a result, when the number of uses of a tape recorder increases and contamination of the contact surface of the liquid retaining member exceeds a given level, the cleaning tape is recontaminated, resulting not only in reduction of the cleaning effect but in additional contamination of a tape running passage of the tape recorder. Furthermore, the conventional cleaning tape cassette is disadvantageous in that it is impossible to clean the capstan shaft of the tape recorder since the cleaning liquid is applied to only one surface of the cleaning tape.